As powerful as our legs are, as magnificent as our lungs and arms and muscles are, nothing matters more than the mind.

We can live as we were meant to live - simply, joyously, of and on the earth. We can live with all our effort and with pure happiness.

Train where your fitness is NOW, not where you want to be.

Only the most saintly and delusional among us welcomes all pain as challenge, perceives all loss as harsh blessing.

For me, challenging myself with this type of endeavor [ultramarathons] brings the best out in me because even at the darkest, deepest moments when I feel like I can't go on, when I feel like there's no chance I could break the record or much less finish the trail, somehow I find that strength inside of me.

It's a hard, simple calculus: Run until you can't run anymore. Then run some more. Find a new source of energy and will. Then run even faster.

Every single one of us possesses the strength to attempt something he isn't sure he can accomplish. It can be running a mile, or a 10K race, or 100 miles. It can be changing a career, losing 5 pounds, or telling someone you love her (or him).